Abuse and Depression Linked
Women who have been victims of intimate partner violence have higher rates of severe depression than women who have not been abused, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Recent victims of intimate partner violence were 2.3 times as likely to report any depressive symptoms and 2.6 times as likely to report severe depressive symptoms as women who had never been victims of intimate partner violence. Women who had experienced physical and/or sexual violence and long durations of abuse also had higher rates of depression, the researchers found. The researchers analyzed data from 3,429 women who were members of an HMO serving the Pacific Northwest and completed a telephone survey.